The EESC opinion on the 2026 European Semester-Spring Package delivers a clear final political message: Europe does not primarily need new priorities. It needs to implement more effectively those already agreed, thus also ensuring a balance between economic, social and environmental objectives. The European Semester should therefore evolve into Europe’s strategic delivery framework for sustainable competitiveness, ensuring that reforms, investments and governance deliver tangible benefits for citizens, businesses, workers and future generations. Success should increasingly be measured not only by the quality of policy recommendations, but by the quality of their implementation and their contribution to productivity, resilience, social cohesion, quality jobs and long-term prosperity.
Download — Parecer de secção do CESE: 2026 European Semester – Spring Package
Building on the EESC's work on the EU Blue Deal, this opinion examines how innovative desalination technologies and processes can help address water scarcity, strengthen Europe's water resilience and support a circular water economy. The opinion will explore opportunities related to clean energy integration, water recycling, sodium recovery, skills development and industrial competitiveness, with a view to providing policy recommendations that support sustainable growth and strategic autonomy in the European water sector.
Europe needs to develop a policy of prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery vis à vis natural disasters. In this context, the capacity of private markets is limited (insurance, reinsurance and alternative risk transfer tools). As a result, the protection gap is now growing and the provision of insurance cover is suffering from economic inefficiencies. This opinion will deliver concrete policy proposals to solve these issues.
This timely opinion will examine civil society proposal on how to reform climate governance, including decision-making processes, negotiation frameworks, and the participation and impact of civil society organisations at global climate summits. It will also assess how international climate litigation is shaping climate negotiations and may further influence the governance of the UNFCCC, particularly in the light of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of 23 July 2025.
Download — Parecer de secção do CESE: Reforming climate governance in light of recent international judicial decisions
Together the Information Report ECO/711 and the Resolution ECO/712 are a continuation of the European Semester Group's (ESG) work to consult annually national economic and social councils, social partners and civil society organisations from EU Member States on reform and investment proposals made in the context of the European Semester and their implementation in the Member States.
The Information Report aims to collect the views of social partners and civil society organisations in the Member States on the reform and investment proposals and their implementation, in particular those indicated in the 2026 Country-Specific Recommendations.
The opinion will examine how the EU’s institutional framework could become more agile and effective for a deeper and better-functioning Single Market by 2028, to ensure that it can respond more effectively to rapid geopolitical, technological and economic changes.
The European Commission’s Annual Competition Report 2025 summarises the key policy and enforcement developments in EU competition policy in 2025, covering State aid, antitrust, mergers, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and the Digital Markets Act.
Download — Parecer de secção do CESE: Report on Competition Policy 2025
